Devil's Dues
by Aries Draco
Summary: Once, he was their leader, but now, he is a Ghoul Hunter. Seeking redemption, or perhaps closure, Malik has been hunting them down for the past three years. The end is in sight, yet so far away... Post-series.
1. 30 storeys up

Devil's Dues

In December, he would turn nineteen, but eighteen was plenty enough for now. The city was sprawled beneath his feet, thirty storeys down, spreading further than his eyes could see. Not that he was looking. It was the sunset he was watching from his vantage point.

The sun's dying rays stretched his dark shadow across the sparse suite, making it appear nearly tangible, bigger in the emptiness. He'd been living here for the past half year, so the suite had been refurbished to his needs, on the company's account, of course. However, his time here was almost done. One more month, one more expense check and he would have to leave again.

After the Pharaoh returned to the afterlife, he spent a month preparing before bidding his siblings farewell. They were reluctant at first, but they understood in the end: he was the only one who could exorcise his own demons.

He watched the lights turn on as the sun finally vanished beneath the horizon, eyes moving back from the distance to focus on his own reflection in the glass, on the arms wrapped carelessly about his shoulders.

_"I think I'll miss this place," _whispered the voice beside his ear, his and not his.

"You mean you'll miss the hot tub and the bubble bath," he responded wryly, still focused on the reflections in the glass.

_"And the room service and the international cuisine,"_ agreed the voice. _"But I'm sure you'll miss it too."_

Malik shrugged lightly, taking care not to displace those arms. America had definitely been fun when he wasn't out there hunting down the remains of the organization he set up so many years ago. No, it would be arrogant to say that he set up the Ghouls. There were already syndicates in place, scattered organizations that required only a leader. He'd stepped up to it with the intent to use them, knowing that, at the same time, they were using him.

A leader, a focal point for the authorities. They'd only wanted him as a figurehead, to mislead the world into thinking that getting rid of him would get rid of the Ghouls. He was to be the red herring, the distraction, until he took over by force using the power of the Millennium Rod. It was still a relatively convenient arrangement, even then, because he'd been so fixated on his thoughts of revenge that he paid little attention to the functions of the rest of the organization.

The entire point of taking over a card syndicate was to get a hold of powerful cards to boost his deck/s so that he could eventually defeat the Pharaoh and kill him. What the Ghouls did with the cards he didn't need, he never really cared. Looking back, it was rather obvious that he had been a complete idiot, coming up with an unnecessarily grand plan just to murder someone.

_"Come on, you never really wanted to kill anyone…"_

Malik looked down at his hands, then stilled them against the glass.

_"Well, not back then, anyway,"_ amended the voice.

He'd killed, with his own hands, by his own intent. Self-defense, but he'd killed, and there was no one to blame but himself. He was surprised how calmly he'd dealt with the situation, but, then again, he'd killed his own father when he was just a child.

_"No, that was me, remember?"_

"Same difference," murmured Malik softly, removing his hands from the window. The arms dropped from his shoulders as he turned around and he clasped those hands lightly in his own. Cold, lifeless, immobile.

It was so easy to take a life here, so easy that it scared him. He'd been unprepared when he got here, so much so that he'd laughed when he was issued with a gun. It didn't seem so funny after he had to use it. He nearly quit there and then, but what would he be if he didn't see things through as he promised?

One more month to tie up some loose ends and America would be settled too. There was no way to get rid of all the card syndicates, but at least he would have gotten rid of most of the Ghouls. Card games were serious business. The raging popularity of Duel Monsters made it highly profitable to enter the market, legally or otherwise. It was one of the reasons why he could afford to stay in a place like this. After all, Industrial Illusions had a lot to protect.

_"And then, what will you do?"_

Malik looked into those eyes, through them, seeing only what he wanted to see. "Go home, I guess," he said after awhile. It had been years since he'd last seen his siblings face to face, though they had communicated on occasion through video calls. Yes, going back to Egypt would be good.

_"How are you going to explain my new body?"_ asked the voice, amused.

"I'll tell them I bought a sex doll," replied Malik rather flatly. It would soon be true anyway. The shipping notice indicated that they were only a day or two away. Ah, America. You could get just about anything here. His darkness burst into giggles at his reply and he couldn't help but smile too, reaching out to touch the cold face.

_"I can just imagine the look on their faces,"_ crowed his darkness. Then, the mood turned somber, serious. _"But how are you going to tell them about __**me**__?"_

Malik shut his eyes, seeing in his mind's eye his doppelganger standing before him uncertainly. He opened his eyes and, for a moment, saw the lifeless mannequin, dressed and wigged for the part. Then it was his darkness again, looking solemnly at him.

"I'll tell them," he said very lightly, "that no one can live without a shadow."


	2. No lost love between the two of them

"Are you sure you will not be persuaded to stay? To work for me properly as an employee?"

Malik tapped the armrest impatiently, eyes filled with frank annoyance. "Aren't you already using me like a lapdog?" he spat out rather viciously. "When I came here, I made it very clear…"

"… that you were after the Ghouls and no one else. Yes, Mr. Ishtar, I remember. Can I bribe you with anything?"

Malik resisted the urge to throw something heavy at the man. This was the creator of Duel Monsters, this insufferably _childish_, whimsical and melodramatic _creature_ who was currently pondering what would undoubtedly be the most ridiculous list of bribes to rape the ear of Man.

"No, you cannot. I'm done here," said Malik flatly, cutting off the man.

"Are you sure? How about a pay increment? A new motorcycle? _Another __RealDoll_"

Malik fell silent, glowering into that single golden eye, promising death with his gaze. Pegasus didn't seem to care, smiling slyly and a little coldly.

"You've been spying on me," said Malik finally, eyes narrowed in real anger now.

"Come now, Mr. Ishtar, don't make it sound so horrible. I only wanted to get to know you, so that I could make you a better offer." Pegasus's reply was light in tone and coy, but it was easy to see the cold cunning underlying his words. Underneath that fluffy exterior was one cynical, manipulative son-of-a-bitch.

Pegasus was playing a game with him, that much was obvious, letting slip bits of information that would eventually lead him to certain conclusions. They'd been playing for months, and though he'd been fine with playing along at first, he was getting tired of games. Games, games, games. Games were fucking everywhere. Even the most hardcore duelists had to get tired of games sometime, right?

Abruptly, Malik stood up and stormed toward the door, feeling only the slightest bit pleased when he heard Pegasus call out in alarm. Mostly, he was just pissed.

"Wait!"

"I am NOT going to continue working for you, no matter how your bribe, threaten or cajole me, because you are…"

"The Ghouls got themselves a new leader three months ago. Since then, they've virtually vanished from the world map."

Malik paused in mid step.

Fuck.

"But since you're no longer interested, I guess I should just let you go graciously. What kind of a person would I be if I force someone to work for me?"

God damned manipulative fucker.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could just barely see the silver-haired bastard. Turning around slowly, Malik crossed his arms, glaring.

The silence stretched as Pegasus tried to look repentant… or at least, not so gleeful under Malik's hard gaze.

"Talk," spat Malik finally, taking his seat back almost violently.

One honey eye met his fuming violets calmly, and he could sense that Pegasus was finally getting serious. Whatever else might be said about that man, he did care a lot for his company and his cards. The only problem was that he preferred to indulge in wine and brainless cartoons, and senseless mind games to entertain himself. Malik was nothing if not direct, so having to work with someone like that was downright infuriating.

But it had to be done. Pegasus had the networks, the resources and most of all, the _right_ to demand that the Ghouls be taken down. On his own, he would have been just another vigilante, but working under the Industrial Illusions name gave him a bit of legitimacy, even if his method were just a little… unconventional.

It had gone so well in his mind, and he'd thought that he was finally getting to the end of his journey… only to have this shit spring up.

He wanted to go home. He'd been away for nearly three years by now, and he'd never felt such a keen desire to be home. He missed his siblings, Ishizu, Rishid, even though he'd kept in contact through letters and phone calls. It just wasn't the same.

He was so close… he _thought_ he was so close… and then he had to find out that his last few months of hard work were all in vain. More than that, now Pegasus was telling him that it _wasn't over_.

No, he couldn't break down now. He'd chosen this path for himself and he was going to walk on till it could end for him. Taking a deep breath, Malik calmed himself.

"I'll admit that it probably wasn't very nice sending you out after all those little syndicates, but when we started, it was just because information on the Ghouls just dried up. At first, we thought maybe it was just a lull, so I thought to keep you occupied, in case you got bored."

Malik twitched visibly at the last statement, causing Pegasus to cough quickly and continue. Sure, he had faith in his own charisma and skill, but he also knew what Malik was capable of, from the files and from first-hand experience. He'd already pushed the boy rather further than he strictly should have… but he could hardly help himself when there was someone so easy to taunt, could he?

"But we just got confirmation about two weeks ago that the Ghouls had reunified and that their leader was planning something big, hence the lack of activity in the past few months. During this period, it would seem that the Ghouls are being financed by discreet funds from other companies… as well as the black market sale of Egyptian artifacts."

More games. Why couldn't that asshole just come out and say it? Why did the message have to be communicated through meaningful looks and carefully timed pauses? Malik pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting back a headache.

"Are they gathered?" he demanded. "Is that what you're trying to tell me? That now a good time to take them out from the top down?"

"I wish I could say that," replied Pegasus, sighing theatrically. "But we don't have enough information to confirm it." The silver-haired man stood, and Malik stifled a sigh. Was it really too much to ask that he remained serious for more than two minutes?

"What I am offering you, Mr. Ishtar, is a trip back to your home country, on company account of course, to do some investigating on your own, as you have done before joining us here at Industrial Illusions. "

_In other words, __it got a little expensive to maintain your global network of agents, and, since the Ghouls had stopped for awhile, business is swell enough that you don't feel like pouring in too much more money…_ Malik's lips twisted into a cynical grin. Yes, just send the obsessive psycho.

But he would be going home, home to Egypt, to Ishizu, to Rishid, to his old bike, to the sun, to the food, the sights, the smells… and it would still be in line with his goals.

There would be a catch somewhere, of course. This was Pegasus he was dealing with, after all. He'd deal with it. Whatever it was, he'd deal with it.

"You'll have to get me two tickets," said Malik rather brazenly. "I want him on the plane with me." It was just a tad worrying when Pegasus began to laugh.

"Oh, I'll do better than that, Mr. Ishtar. You'll be on an almost-private jet back to Egypt by this time tomorrow. We'll just have to finalize the legal stuff, agree on a few terms, and I won't even ask what you wanted a RealDoll for, even though I really never thought you were the type to go for things like that…"

It was going to be a long day.

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Notes:

RealDolls are real. Look them up (if you're over 18) if you want.


	3. Pride is a hard thing to swallow

Malik twitched.

Kaiba twitched.

Pegasus grinned and took a rather uncouth swig of wine from the bottle.

"Kaiba-boy, this is the most excellent agent I was telling you about. I promised to lend him to you, so here he is!" Another large mouthful of wine. "Mr. Ishtar, Kaiba-boy will be taking you on his private jet over to Egypt, seeing as he's on his way over as well! It was a perfect arrangement, don't you think?"

He had bodyguards and he had snipers waiting on the nearby rooftops, but from the looks on the other two's faces, he was beginning to wonder if his precautions had been enough. Then again, what was life without a little excitement?

Malik was silent, which was just a little disappointing. Had the boy gotten used to him so quickly that little surprises like this didn't affect him anymore? Then again, that boy had an obsessive streak longer than the Nile, and maybe he was willing to put aside his personal emotions to achieve his goals.

"If this is a joke, it's not funny," stated Kaiba tersely.

"I assure you, this is no joke. Mr. Ishtar here has been working for me for more than half a year, and he has been a Ghoul-hunter since way before that. He's been inside the organization, he knows his way around Egypt and he speaks five different languages, including the one most commonly spoken where you plan to go."

Malik was not pleased, not even with Pegasus's subtle stroking of his ego. He'd known that there was going to be some catch, but, really, Kaiba Seto? It wasn't that he had anything against the man personally, it was just that that man probably had something against him, and that would make for a rather difficult work relationship. Smiling bitterly, he kept his mouth firmly shut. No point making this more difficult than it was going to be.

_"You're not going to say anything?! This is Kaiba! What do you think he's going to say when he finds out about me?!"_

Nothing much, probably. After all, he was the one who had Seto's little brother held at knifepoint, and he was the one who organized the Ghouls to intrude of Seto's tournament three years ago. His dark personality had nothing to do with it.

_"Fine! But what is he going to do to you when he finds out about me? Did you even think of that?"_

"Shut up," mumbled Malik to himself. Not quietly enough, unfortunately. Kaiba, who had been ranting about how he was a psychopath, was now staring at him. Malik smiled darkly. "Sorry about that, I was talking to my darker personality."

"You may be willing to hire psychos, but I'm not taking part in this madness." The tone of Kaiba's voice was strong and sure, but Malik thought he detected a bit of a waver. Hesitation. Fear.

What did Kaiba have to do with anything anyway? KaibaCorp and Industrial Illusions worked very closely together: that much he knew. Pegasus and Kaiba had some history together: that much he could guess. He would have believed that Pegasus was just trying to extort a ride from Kaiba on his behalf had the man not betrayed himself with his own words.

Kaiba needed help. This had something to do with the Ghouls, and Egypt. Since Kaiba was here personally, and Kaiba had asked for help, it had to be something pretty serious.

Blue eyes were staring at him again and Malik tilted his head, meeting the gaze full on. "Let's get this over with," he said almost pleasantly. He wanted to go home, damn it. "If you don't want my on your plane, that's fine. I'm still going back to Egypt, and I'm still going to dig the Ghouls out of their burrow and exterminate them, whether or not I get help from either of you. Stop wasting my time here and decide."

Lots of people had trouble holding his gaze, but he wasn't too surprised that Kaiba could. Kaiba had always been strong, and Kaiba had always been another one of those who could make grown men piss their pants with a look.

Malik turned his eyes away, catching a hint of surprise in the other man's eyes. Smiling calmly to himself, he looked over into the shadows, where his shadow was sitting.

"How much did you tell him, Pegasus?" he heard Kaiba demand, though he didn't bother looking back over in their direction.

"He didn't tell me you were involved."

"I told him where to find the Ghouls, that's all. I certainly said nothing about their impact on your company, now that they've moved on from just cards to hacking Duel Disks."

Hacking Duel Disks? Ever since Battle City, Duel Disks had become quite popular around the world… which meant that KaibaCorp had access to the information of every duelist who ever purchased a Duel Disk. It would have been possible for them to track any duelist… including the Ghouls. If the Ghouls had managed to hack the Duel Disk, that could explain the recent dearth of information, though not why the Ghouls were lying low.

Which was what he was supposed to be finding out.

Kaiba looked like he was going to murder Pegasus on the spot. That would have been some scene. However, much to Malik's surprise, Seto turned to him, conflict just barely visible under his icy countenance.

"You're going to hunt the Ghouls in their new den." It was somewhat of a cross between a question and a statement, so Malik decided to answer.

"Yes."

"Every single spy I sent to Egypt in the past three months have vanished," said Kaiba neutrally, watching him.

"That's a pity," replied Malik breezily, recognizing the direction the conversation was going.

Kaiba seemed to consider this before scowling as if the world was conspiring against him. "Very well, you're coming with me."

Perfect: he would be going home via private jet. The only downside was that he would have to spend most of the journey with Kaiba Seto. All things considered, it could have been worse.

And of course, he would have his darker half with him. Cheerfully, Malik stepped into the shadows to retrieve his luggage and the wheelchair. "We're going home."

_"__You sound so excited about spending the day with Kaiba,"_ came the wry reply.

"What is _that_?" The look of sheer astonishment on Kaiba's face was amusing, to say the least.

Malik kept on smiling as if it was nothing. "My luggage."

And his dark side began to laugh.

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Notes:

A shoutout to everyone who has reviewed so far: Thank you for taking the time to write me feedback. It is much appreciated!


	4. Do not think about it

What. The. Fuck.

Seto went through the files again meticulously, making sure that everything was in place. He had to brief his new help, but he really did not want to be thinking about that right now. Besides, it would take awhile to get to Egypt. A long, long while.

He was not bothered that Malik Ishtar was a psycho. He'd employed and dealt with psychos before, and he knew that he could handle them: that was what guns were made for. They did tend to be more troublesome, however, though they made up for it by being generally expendable. People rarely asked questions when crazy folk went missing. No, the fact that Malik Ishtar was a psycho wasn't what bothered him. It was that bloody doll.

He should have known something was up when he received the nameless profile. Things that appeared too good to be true often were exactly as they seemed: too good to be true. Now he was saddled with a psycho and a… a fucking sex doll dressed up like said psycho. And it was one of those realistic ones too, with articulate jointing, rooted hair and other things he refused to speculate on. It wouldn't have been so weird if Malik didn't insist on talking to it like it was a real person.

Scratch that. It would have been weird anyway, because that doll looked exactly like Malik, right down to the eye makeup. The only differences were the spiked-up hair and the slightly mischievous, malevolent expression on the doll's face. If it was even possible. Seto could swear that those lifeless violet eyes were following him.

Which was why he was currently holed up in his section of the jet, staring at the computer screen and trying to not speculate on what Malik did with that doll behind closed doors.

Or if he was doing it now.

Drawing in a sharp breath, Seto tried to focus on the words and images that made up the report. And the figures. Especially the figures. After Battle City, he'd been concentrating on building up KaibaLand theme parks around the world. While supervising the work in America, he'd received a message from his old associate about the Ghouls. He was cautious, naturally, considering that this was Pegasus he was dealing with, but his personal investigations turned up facts that tallied with what he'd been told.

Before that, he'd thought that the Ghouls had collapsed, seeing as he'd gotten rid of their leader during the Battle City tournament. Sure, it was technically Yugi who beat Malik, but he was the one who organized the tournament in the first place, so he could take some credit. However, it seemed that he had been misled, just like everyone else.

On hindsight, it should have been obvious. How could someone like Malik _create_ an entire world-wide organization of card counterfeiters? Where could a former tomb-keeper have found the technology to replicate Duel Monster cards right down to the microchips that allowed them to be played on his Duel Disks? Why would he have cared when his thoughts were tied up with revenge? He really should have seen it the moment he saw the Ghouls duel, if only he hadn't been so caught up with his main agenda.

The past two years had been an arms race against the Ghouls. Working together with Industrial Illusions, on and off, they'd changed everything from software to hardware, from the form of encryption to the layers of security. For awhile, it seemed that they were winning the race, until the Ghouls staged their comeback.

He told Pegasus that the Ghouls were hacking the Duel Disks, because that was the conclusion he came to after reviewing the data. The last agent he sent to Egypt, however, presented him with more alarming information. The Ghouls weren't just hacking the Duel Disks, they were making them. That was the last communication he received from that particular guy.

He was Kaiba Seto. He had money, he had power, and he had the ruthlessness required to use them to their fullest extent. And he was still unable to dig the roots out from beneath the Ghouls' feet, a testament to the power held by the Ghouls. Now that they were a direct threat to KaibaCorp, he really had no choice but to step in.

The company was in a slightly precarious position for the moment because a considerable amount of its resources had been tied up with construction, mainly, that of KaibaLand's. It would be awhile before that particular investment would pay off, and Seto was more than confident that it would, but, in the meantime, it was the sale of Duel Disks that kept their shares afloat and their shareholders happy. If anything was to happen to that branch of business, the consequences would be devastating.

There was no more time to source for new agents. The Ghouls' Duel Disks had been around for barely two months, give or take, and he was already seeing the effects in his figures. They were still minor fluctuations for the moment, but he wasn't exactly optimistic about the outcome. People were idiots. They would buy just about anything, so long as it was cheap, even if they were losing the whole damned point of it and breaking intellectual property right laws along the way.

In a way, getting hold of Malik Ishtar was a very good thing. He'd seen the boy's records, from both before and during his tenure at Industrial Illusions, and they had been impressive, even to him. It helped, of course, that Malik had a personal interest in the matter. It made him less likely to take bribes and run away, like some of the previous agents did.

If he didn't think about that doll, Malik seemed almost normal. His eyes, at least, were not as clouded and crazed as they were three years ago. While there was still something obsessive in that violet gaze, it seemed more focused. And just a little jaded. He'd also toned down his dressing a lot since Battle City. The only gold jewelry he was wearing were those dangly earrings and his clothes were sensibly plain, not even the biker look Seto had once seen on him. It was a sign that Malik had been completely focused on his mission for the past three years.

Or it could have been that the weather at this time of year was too cold for flashy clothes, because that doll…

He really didn't want to think about the doll.

Picking up the intra-jet phone, he called Malik's room. Now would be a good time to do the briefing, probably, while his thoughts were still on the matter at hand and not dwelling on that fucking doll. With every ring of the phone, Seto felt his brain slipping toward the gutter. Alright, so, maybe it wasn't a good time for a briefing.

On the fifth ring, Malik picked up, sounding rather breathless. "Hello?"

Seto fought the urge to slam down the phone. What exactly was Malik doing in his room?

"Mr. Kaiba? Sorry it took so long to pick up, I couldn't find the" a cough that sounded like some stifled profanity "phone." Other than the slightly breathless tone, Malik sounded perfectly professional to the point of being sarcastic. "Is there something you need from me?"

"I would like to give you the briefing now," _unless you are otherwise occupied._

"Ok, sure." The reply was prompt and careless, so it meant that Malik was really just looking for the phone, right?

Right?

Closing his eyes, Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to know.

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Notes:

I was thinking of how to answer to **Aramis-chan**'s review, and I think I've got it:

Every character has their own biased point of view, and their views may or may not coincide with the author's.

Thank you once more to ALL my reviewers. This is the last chapter I have typed up for the moment, so future updates will probably take much longer than the one a day speed I've been posting at. I'll be glad to answer any questions or queries, unless it includes giving away vital plot elements (haha).


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